A BRIEF STUDY OF THE MOURNING RITUAL ‘FACE-SCRATCHING’ AMONG THE KYRGYZ PEOPLE BASED ON RELATED DATA

This study examines contradictory evidence regarding the Kyrgyz mourning ritual of "bet tytuu" (face scratching). Origins of the ritual analyzing Chinese historical sources and scholarly works. A comparison shows that the Yenisei Kyrgyz initially did not practice this custom, as confirmed by the early Chinese chronicle "Tun Dian" (801 CE). Later sources, such as "Tanhueyao" (961 CE) and "Ce fu yuan gui" (1013 CE), indicate the presence of this ritual, explained by Kyrgyz assimilation with local Turkic tribes after migrating from Yenisei to Altai and Tian Shan. These findings support the hypothesis that this tradition was adopted through ethnocultural interaction.